Distilled vs. Purified Water: What Is the Difference Between Them?

by Editorial Staff | Updated on June 22nd, 2022

Distilled water and purified water are two of the most prevalent keywords in the home appliance marketing sector. You must have thought about it at some time, whether consciously or unconsciously, and wondered if it might genuinely make your life better or healthier.

We’re here to dispel the myths around these two types of water and help you decide which is the best option for you. So, let the battle between distilled and purified water begin!

What exactly is distilled water?

Distilled water is just water that has been distilled. The original unclean water is first boiled and converted into vapor in this procedure. It is immediately converted back into a liquid by condensation. As a consequence, the initial contaminants that cannot survive at boiling temperatures are eliminated.

How to Make Water Distillation

There are a handful of methods for distilling water in your own house. Electric and non-electric water distillers are the two major forms of distillation.

Distiller of Water by Electricity

These water distillers are powered by an outlet and function similarly to a coffee maker. The first water chamber is where you put your tap water. When you start the distiller, a heating element raises the temperature of the water, allowing it to begin to transform into steam.

Because the unit is enclosed, the steam will attempt to “leave” the water chamber and will be forced to pass via the chamber outlet. A collection carafe on the other side of that outlet gathers the steam and restores it to liquid form, free of pollutants.

When using these models, always account for the electricity consumed. It will have an influence on both where and when you may use it, as well as the expense of operation. These units can range in price from low to high, and some may have extra filtering.

Distillers of Non-Electric Water

These water distillers, like their electric counterparts, require a heating element to function. Many are made to be used on a stove or even over an open fire. Are you going to be in an area where you won’t have access to power and will want distilled water on a daily basis? These models might be just what you’re looking for.

There are also specialized distiller choices. These are generally self-contained units with many compartments, and they may be a wonderful alternative for camping. A non-electric water distiller, like an electric water distiller, can cost a lot of money, but there are also less expensive solutions.

This purification procedure has shown to be quite successful in removing pollutants such as:

• There are several viruses and bacteria.
• Giardia, for example, is a protozoa.
• Sulfate and lead are two examples of compounds.

Distilled water is often utilized in labs and medical institutions due to its purity. While purified water is more typically consumed than distilled water, distilled water may still be consumed since it is completely devoid of pollutants.

The Benefits of Distilled Water

Waterborne Disease Prevention

By eliminating impurities from water, distilled water can help keep you safe from waterborne infections. Viral, bacterial, and parasitic microorganisms are examples of potentially hazardous germs that may live in water. You may protect yourself and your loved ones against them by cooking, drinking, and bathing in distilled water.

Toxic Elements Protection

This type of water can also protect you from harmful things such as carcinogenic pollutants. These are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with boiling points lower than water. So, by going through the distillation process or employing a trustworthy distiller, you may remove such components from water.

Natural Detoxification of the Body

You may also cleanse your body naturally by drinking distilled water. It can especially assist the kidney get rid of metabolic wastes by passing them more quickly and efficiently. Although tea and smoothies are more popular as detoxification beverages, water has always been the most effective detoxing fluid.

Ideal for people with weakened immune systems:

Do you have a member of your family who has a weak immune system? Distilled water is the cleanest type of water available, lowering the danger to your loved one.

Enhancement of flavor and elimination of superfluous minerals:

When it comes to tackling superfluous minerals, which can have a detrimental influence on the flavor of your water, charcoal-based filtration can only do so much. Water distillers remove minerals from water, leaving you with clean, drinkable water.

Removes chlorine and insecticides successfully:

Some of the more difficult-to-remove pollutants may persist throughout other filtration procedures. Fortunately, they can be successfully eradicated by a distiller.

The Drawbacks of Distilled Water

Nutritional Deficit

Distilled water has no minerals. As a result, if you don’t obtain enough minerals in your diet, your metabolism will slow down. In severe situations of mineral shortage, you may develop cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis.

Furthermore, not eating a well-balanced diet and consuming distilled water might disrupt your body’s electrolyte and pH levels. Because it collects CO2 from the surrounding air after being distilled, this water is acidic. As a result, its pH drops from 7 to around 5.8 in a matter of hours.

That is why eating a well-balanced diet is essential for getting the most out of distilled water. If you don’t think you’ll be able to stick to such a diet, don’t drink distilled water.

Tasteless

When compared to normal water, distilled water tastes somewhat bland. The explanation for its lackluster flavor is, once again, a lack of minerals. When you drink distilled water, you may not have the same refreshing sensation that you do when you drink regular water. As a result, you may be less tempted to drink water as frequently as you were previously.

Distilling is a time-consuming process:

Home water distillers typically provide a little volume of water over a long period of time. A single gallon of water will take between 5 and 6 hours to distill. If your family consumes a lot of water, this may not be feasible.

It might be more expensive:

Other filtering methods rely on flowing water through a fixed filter. The prices of the exterior housings and filtering systems vary, although the filters are typically reasonable. Water distillers, on the other hand, need specialized equipment that is more difficult and expensive to make.

What exactly is purified water?

Purified water is water that has been purified by passing it through a mechanical filter to eliminate contaminants. Distillation, carbon filtering, reverse osmosis, UV oxidation, ultrafiltration, and capacitive deionization are all methods for obtaining pure water. It is also possible to combine two or more of them to produce ultrapure water.

Purified water is filtered using one of the following methods:

1. Reverse osmosis filters water via a semipermeable membrane, which is made of a specific substance. This substance enables fluid to pass through while filtering out salt and contaminants.
2. To eliminate contaminants and minerals, distillation boils the water and then condenses the vapor back into a liquid.
3. Deionization is the process of removing salt and other mineral ions (molecules) from water.
4. UV light: UV light filtration systems cleanse water by destroying potentially dangerous bacteria and viruses.
5. Carbon filters: This is the cheapest approach, although it is not the most comprehensive. You’ve probably seen the impacts of carbon filters if you’ve ever used a Brita pitcher. The most basic carbon filters will eliminate chlorine while also improving flavor and odor. More sophisticated ones can remove other poisons such as lead and mercury. They function by using activated carbon, which bonds to pollutants. Pitcher filters are commonly used for this form of filtration, but you can also obtain a faucet-mounted filter or an under-sink filter.

Among the numerous pollutants and contaminants removed from water during the purification process are:

• Numerous chemical pollutants
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Algae
• Certain metals like lead and copper
• Different parasites

Various treatment procedures are used to make water safe in nations that cleanse public drinking water, including:

• Coagulation and flocculation involve the addition of positively charged chemicals to water in order for them to bond with negatively charged particles and be filtered out. This results in the formation of bigger particles known as floc.
• Sedimentation occurs when floc, due to its bigger size, sinks to the bottom of the water supply, separating it from the clean water.
• Filtering: The clean water on top of the supply is then sent through a series of filtration systems comprised of sand, charcoal, and gravel. Contaminants such as dust, bacteria, chemicals, and viruses are removed.
• Disinfection: Chemical disinfectants such as chlorine are added to the water at this phase to destroy any lingering bacteria or viruses that may have survived the first few steps.

It’s crucial to note that water may be treated differently depending on where you live and the quality of your local water.

The Benefits of Purified Water

Contaminants-Free

This water has no dangerous impurities like as bacteria, viruses, metals, or chemicals. Some public water sources, for example, have chlorine in their system, which charcoal filters may remove. By depending on filtered water, you may provide improved health advantages for your family members.

Skin that glows

Hydration is essential for creating and maintaining healthy skin. It will shine much brighter if you use purified water instead of normal water. The reason for this is the lack of pollutants such as microorganisms and hazardous substances. Your epidermis will be able to nourish itself better if you utilize filtered water on a regular basis.

Improved Digestion

By delivering clean, harmless fluid, drinking filtered water on a daily basis can help maintain your digestive system healthy. Heavy metals such as copper and lead can be found in regular water, posing health risks such as gastrointestinal irritation. Purified water is devoid of harmful contaminants and may thus keep your stomach happy!

You will most likely drink more water:

Water with a great flavor will keep you reaching for another glass instead of other beverages. This can result in better-looking skin and may even assist you in losing a few vanity pounds. It’s widely known that people frequently misinterpret thirst for hunger and overeat instead of drinking.

Water will taste better as follows:

The flavor of your water may be altered by natural, healthful minerals and water variations. The chemicals employed during the city’s treatment may leave your water with an odor or flavor; filtered water avoids this.

The Drawbacks of Purified Water

Continual Upkeep

The increase in maintenance responsibilities is one disadvantage of switching to filtered water. To remove the filtered impurities, the purification or filtering system must be cleaned on a regular basis. Otherwise, they may accumulate within outdated filters and end up in your drinking water.

Fluoride Dangers

Certain public drinking water systems employ the mineral fluoride to prevent tooth decay and improve dental health among the general public. An overabundance of this fluoride, on the other hand, might cause harm to nerve and brain cells.

Costly

The high expense of obtaining, installing, and maintaining home-based filtration systems is a key issue when seeking cleaned water. Some of them have the ability to demand hundreds of dollars all at once! Similarly, purchasing filtered water in bottles is more expensive than purchasing regular water.

Some pollutants may not be removed:

Although water purification systems eliminate many pollutants, depending on the kind of filtration utilized, some pesticides and chemicals may remain in pure water.

Waste:

Purchasing filtered water in plastic bottles generates a significant amount of waste, as does discarding spent filters from in-home purification systems.

Choosing Between Purified and Distilled Water

Uses

The most well-known use of distilled water is in the steam iron, which is used to press garments. Furthermore, experts in the biological and chemical areas employ it for investigations requiring greater degrees of purity. Low-volume humidifiers use it to avoid mineral deposits, while aquariums use it to create a healthier environment for fish.

Here are a few more examples:

aquarias (mineral supplements should be added to the fish food)

some medical equipment, such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices for sleep apnea, watering plants automobile cooling systems laboratory experiments

Purified water is utilized in a variety of applications, including laboratory studies, autoclaves, commercial drinks, vehicles, semiconductors, lead-acid batteries, and laser cutting.

Pharmaceutical companies rely on this water to create medications and chemicals.

The Purification Method

The remarkable thing about comparing distilled water to purified water is how closely they are linked. Distilled water is filtered using distillation, which is a purification process in and of itself. It is, in reality, one of several methods for obtaining cleansed water. As a result, distilled water is a subset of purified water.

Palatability

It is preferable to drink water cleansed using methods other than distillation since distilled water tastes quite bland and unappealing. If not balanced with a complementary diet, this water might also be acidic. As a result, drinking filtered water is the superior alternative.

Cost

Both forms of water may be fairly costly. Distilled water is expensive, with prices ranging from a few dollars per gallon to almost 10 dollars per gallon. As a result, maintaining this switch may prove costly in the long run.

Similarly, constructing and maintaining filtration systems for cleaned water is costly. However, purifying methods include as deionization and reverse osmosis are less expensive than distillation.

Which is the safer option?

With so many water filtration solutions available, deciding how to filter water at home may be difficult. Both distilled and purified water have their own applications, but when it comes to safe ingestion, the distinction comes down to one important factor: minerals.

Is distilled water, then, the cleanest kind of water? When water is distilled, it loses minerals like calcium, magnesium, and fluoride, which are necessary for a healthy diet. While distilled water is safe to drink, it lacks the minerals that might dehydrate you. It is not the purest kind of water available.

Purified water is preferable and healthier. There are various basic water purification methods, but not all of them are fully safe and pure.

Another significant contrast is that distillation systems use more energy and are frequently inefficient. Water filtration systems, on the other hand, utilize significantly less energy and are easy to install in your house, making them a superior alternative for residential usage.

Is distilled water completely safe to drink?

There is one little flaw in the preceding procedure. Many volatile organic compounds are present in water, and many of them have boiling temperatures lower than pure water (like pesticides or herbicides and a whole lot of other volatile chemical compounds that have names far too difficult to pronounce, much less spell).

The argument is that when the water is heated, the volatiles evaporate first, followed by the pure water. As a result, it’s critical to have extra purification methods in place, in addition to distillation, to ensure that all of the undesirable material is eliminated.

What Is Better for You: Distilled Water or Purified Water?

Weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each type of water to determine which is best for your family? Here are a few things to think about as you go through your options:

1. What’s in your water: Test your water and look closely at the exact types of toxins it contains. Is your water supply routed through lead piping? Consider if you have municipal water or well water. Knowing what you need to get rid of can assist you in choosing the best water for your property.
2. Consider your financial situation: After you’ve determined the breadth of your requirements, consider your budget. This can help you narrow down your alternatives and ensure you wind up with something you’re happy with.
3. Determine whether you require portability: Having a huge installed system might be amazing, but it does not imply you can carry it with you. Consider a smaller, more portable model if you regularly travel and want to bring your healthy water with you.

Is bottled water purified?

Normally, no. Although distilled water can be purchased in bottles, store-bought water is not the same as distilled water.

Bottom Line: Which Is Right For You?

Distilled water is a purified version of water. They can’t truly compete because they’re practically the same thing.

The only significant variation between them is the specification of their purification techniques. While there are other ways for purifying water, only distillation is applicable to distilled water.

So, if the method of distilled water appears dependable to you, you may use it, or you can pick any other kind of purified water that meets your needs and tastes. Hopefully, this advice on Distilled Vs Purified Water will assist you in making your selection.

Editorial Staff

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